The following thank you from Heather Grev, a recipient of Librarian Relief Funds, was printed in the VLA News – May 2012, which is a member only publication. We are printing it here to be sure everyone who contributed can have a chance to receive it.

Dear Librarians, Support Staff, and Friends,

I wanted to take a minute to thank all of the wonderful people that donated to the Vermont Library Relief Fund. Words cannot convey how thankful I am to be surrounded by such generosity and compassion. As some of you know, it has been a struggle for me to get back on my feet, and adjusting to my “new” normal has been a difficult process. This wonderful gift will help me to be able to purchase a bed, couch, and other important items that I lost from Tropical Storm Irene. I can only one day hope to thank everyone individually. There are truly no words for how grateful I am.

Sincerely,

Heather L. Grev

Head of Youth Services

Sherburne Memorial Library

Pictures Heather supplied of her house during and after Tropical Storm Irene

The Vermont Library Association thanks the many generous donors to the Librarian Relief Fund. The fund was our effort to offer some financial support to Vermont librarians who suffered personal losses due to Tropical Storm Irene. We raised $5885, which was awarded to six people. Our formula was straightforward: we added up the total dollar amount that people had lost, determined the percentage of that pool for each applicant, and then gave out a corresponding amount of what we raised.